Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island

The prime overnight anchorage at these smaller islands, the gorgeous sweeping arc of beach at the Cooper Island Beach Club draws sailors into its tiny paradise. Centrally located to The Baths, The Rhone, Peter and Norman Islands, the Beef Island airport, Road Town, and just about everything else in the BVI, This spot would give you plenty of reasons to stop by even if there wasn’t that fabulous beach.

Approach:

is straightforward from the north or west with no hazards. Coming into the bay itself, be prepared for the breeze to be cut off completely by Quart-O-Nancy point.

Anchoring/Mooring:

This is a deep, somewhat grassy bay that would make anchoring difficult, and so has been sprinkled with mooring balls for your convenience. Pick any up ($25/night), with the most protected toward the south. These are paid to the dinghy driver, while the northern white balls are paid for ashore at the Club. When the breeze is up, great eddying gusts can whip around the point and send the boats on the northernmost balls spinning a bit. This bay is part of the BVI’s sea grass monitoring program, so if you have to anchor, please do so well outside the mooring area, and with care.

Ashore:

You can tie up the dinghy at either of the two docks in the center of the bay. The gorgeous and accessible Cooper Island Beach Club, with a restaurant (call 284.495.9084 or on VHF 16 for reservations), bar (happy hour daily at 5pm) and the charming Sea Grape Boutique to keep you busy if you’re not splayed out on that fantastic stretch of sand. Sail Caribbean Divers does regularly scheduled dives from their location at the club, to take people to the Rhone and other dive spots. They also do air refills on-site.

Don’t Miss:

A sunset staring right down the length of the Sir Francis Drake Channel. St. John is in the distance, and your view is rimmed by a continuous line of green gems. The lights of Road Town begin to blink to the north, and the sun dips lower creating a rich, orange light perfect for photos of Cooper, your crew, and this ethereal setting. Grab a cocktail and soak it all in.

photo credits: kathrynrapier.net